Over 600 Indian students in the United States, especially from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, have been arrested for violating immigration rules.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency conducted a raid across the country in which they found dozens of Indian students illegally living there, reports The Times of India.
The US Department of Homeland Security had also set up a fake university in Farmington, Michigan, to attract foreign students who were in the area without proper authorisation. This investigation has been going on since 2015.
The university was a cover to identify recruiters who were part of illegal immigration. Eight student recruiters were charged for assisting 600 foreign students to illegally stay in the US. Out of the 600, 100 students were related to Farmington University.
The arrests came to light after the friends and families of the arrested students contacted the American Telugu Association (ATA) who along with their legal team contacted Indian student associations across the country, guiding them on the further actions to take in the matter.
The ATA has also contacted lawyers to confirm that arrest warrants were issued to the 600 students.
The Indian Ambassador, Harshvardhan Shingla, and the Consulate General of India, Dr. Swati Vijay Kulkarni, were also intimated of the matter. According to TOI, they both are working with the ATA to fix the issue.
On January 31, the ATA will hold a webinar to talk to students and guide them on being careful of fake agents who promise aspirants with college admissions in fake and uncredited universities.
